Life on Wings - A Tribute to Dr Ern Baxter

The Tide is Turning ... But Do We Know What's Coming?

I was woken up this morning about half past four with a really powerful dream. I dreamt that I was kind of hovering about the Brighton coastline and that I saw the image similar to the one in the photo. A tidal wave was speeding across the sea and moving towards Brighton itself. I began praying as I was biking into work about what it meant.

I think what the Lord was impressing on me was that I have spent a bit of time discussing Terry Virgo's question; "If the tide is turning - what should be our response?". But I feel like God was saying that we need to up our expectation of what this turning tide will be! Some of us see the tide turning as a gentle lapping up the sand. I think God has something far far bigger in mind! I think this turning tide is going to bring devastation on a scale like we have never dreamed before!

My latest transcript project (alongside "The King and His Army" of course - which I am near finishing) is an awesome sermon of Ern Baxter's called; "Ditch Diggers Revival". His text was a passage that I have never dipped into before. 2 Kings 3:15-20. Elisha gets the three kings to dig ditches in preparation for the water that God would miraculously send. Ern awesomely taught that the water would come but if the ditches were not dug then the water would quickly flow away and be lost. Ern said that in his life span he has seen revivals come and go like water without ditches dug and his plea was that the church sit up and take notice and begin digging! I hope to publish this soon here on this site.

I think that sermon theme fits in with Terry's question. We could sit back and wait for the tidal wave to come if God has indeed promised it. But if we do not prepare the wineskin and dig the ditches or whatever metaphor suits you - then we will become known as another generation that squandered the move of the Holy Spirit and let it go. And who knows whether we will see the Spirit move again in our lifetime? A generation sat at the Dales Bible Week in 1976 listening to Ern Baxter teach on the "Kadesh Crisis". He said this that the tragedy was that the Israelites didn't go into the land and died in the wilderness because of unbelief. Ern's plea was that those at the Dales didn't do the same. I wonder if they did.

I don't want to be another casualty who steps back from the thing that God is calling us to and says, "We are not able" when God's assessment was, "You were not willing!". I don't want to be sent back into the wilderness to die when the land is waiting to be taken and giants of Islam, Materialism, Capitalism are waiting to topple! I want to see that promise come to pass;

"As SURELY as I live - ALL the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord!" - Numbers 14:21.

The tidal wave is coming - are we ready for it?